The Western Manuscripts In The Library Of Trinity College, Cambridge, complete: Volume I, II, III, IV

A sturdy, attractive, tightly bound in hardcover format set, complete in four volumes, clean, lightly toned interiors at worst, minimal rubbing to extremities. Really, a handsome set, all in. Bound in light gray cloth over boards, sharp and distinct gilt lettering to spines. From the web-site devoted to the collection, "Over one hundred years ago M. R. James, the great cataloguer, medieval scholar, and author, published The Western Manuscripts in the Library of Trinity College, Cambridge: a Descriptive Catalogue. James' work - an essential guide to the highly diverse manuscript collection at Trinity College - appeared in four volumes between 1900 and 1904. It is still a vital aid to scholars." Volume I (1900): xxiii, [1], 1-549 pp.; Volume II (1901): xxvii, [1], 1-428 pp.; Volume III (1902): xxxi, [1], 1-532 pp.; Volume IV (1904): xvi, plus xvii plates, black-and-white, printed on high-gloss paper, then a 40-page index to the preceding three volumes. Also from the web-site, "James' breadth of learning was remarkable: the manuscripts described range from the eighth to the nineteenth centuries; contain works in many languages; and cover subjects as diverse as technical alchemy, biblical exegesis and heraldry, to name just a few. It was an admirable survey of the collection and in his own particular area of expertise ? medieval manuscripts - an excellent catalogue. His pioneering work on medieval libraries can be seen developing in this catalogue, where his knowledge of unpublished surviving catalogues and of press-marks enabled him to assign provenance to a large number of books. James' Catalogue follows the arrangement of the manuscripts in the Wren library, with a volume for each of the three bays in which manuscripts are kept. Departing from his practice at other Cambridge colleges, he described every volume he came across: just over half of the 1500 entries in the Trinity catalogue refer to medieval books. The first volume describes the contents of bay B, essentially theological books and the second describes the historical, literary, miscellaneous and outsize manuscripts found in bay R. Volume three describes the manuscripts of bay O which housed the Gale collection, amassed by Thomas Gale and his son Roger, and donated to the college by the latter in 1738. In 1904 James produced the last volume, containing corrections, an index (which he had, unusually, made himself), and seventeen plates with brief comments."Member, I.O.B.A., C.B.A., and adherent to the highest ethical standards. Additional postage may be required for oversize or especially heavy volumes, and for sets. …